It’s time
to come
together

State Sen. George Rivera is a Pueblo Republican who represents District 3, which includes Pueblo and Pueblo West.

“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in.” So spoke President Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address.

My fellow Puebloans, the recent recall election has attained its rightful place in Colorado history and Pueblo has drawn national attention.

So what now?

The national spotlight will not dim just because a divisive election is over, as the nation will be asking what became of our community in its aftermath.

There is no doubt that the election was unique in a number of ways, specifically and quite ironically in the way that it also united Pueblo factions like never before as Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike cast their votes in unison.

Granted, the uniting factor was concern over our Second Amendment rights, but are we to let this opportunity to come together as a community go by the wayside?

I would hope not.

We can and we should now become a stronger community focused on tackling the issues that have troubled us for years, problems such as high unemployment, economic stagnation, failing schools and a high teen pregnancy rate, to name only a few.

I believe that the solutions to those problems can be found first in a return to our core values of belief in God, love of country, strong family, self-discipline and respect for authority, as well as a restoration of the belief that hard work and individual effort can make the American dream possible for anyone.

Secondly, while government is indispensable to a civilized society, a spirit of cooperation is essential in finding a balance between governmental overreach and a smaller government that would result in lower taxes, less regulation and less intervention in our lives.

Pueblo, we have shown what we can do when we come together in a spirit of cooperation. Let us now continue to show the state and the nation that we are a proud community that has a lot to offer and that we will come away from this election stronger and more prosperous than ever.

May God bless us all, and may God bless these United States of America.